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Cost of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”Song Items Spike, According To 2010PNC Christmas Price Index®

Despite a sluggish economy and low inflation, the 2010 PNC Christmas Price Index® surged 9.2 percent in the whimsical economic analysis by PNC Wealth Management based on the gifts in the holiday classic, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

According to the 27th annual survey, the price tag for the PNC CPI is $23,439 in 2010, $1,974 more than last year. This is the second highest jump ever and largest percentage increase since 2003 when the index rose 16 percent. That comes on the heels of a modest 1.8 percent increase a year ago.

“This year’s jump in the PNC CPI can be attributed to rising gold commodity prices, represented by the Five Gold Rings which went up by 30 percent, in addition to higher costs for wages and benefits impacting some entertainers,” said James Dunigan, managing executive of investments for PNC Wealth Management.

Although these trends affect both indexes, the PNC CPI’s surge is in marked contrast to the government’s CPI, which grew a mere 1.1 percent, illustrating the difference in size of the two baskets of goods and services.